Fasilyev ruled out

Zentsov Street, who races in the colours of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, will head a team of three from Aidan O'Brien…

Zentsov Street, who races in the colours of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, will head a team of three from Aidan O'Brien's stable in Saturday's Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

O'Brien yesterday ruled Fasliyev out of the end-of-season juvenile championship and instead Zentsov Street will be joined by Brahms and the Leopardstown maiden winner Monashee Mountain.

"I suppose Fasliyev would be our best chance of winning the Dewhurst, but we like to try and give all our horses a chance at Group 1 level this year and Fasliyev has done a lot already. He is finished for the season," O'Brien said yesterday.

He added that stable rider Michael Kinane is not likely to decide who he will ride until this morning, but Zentsov Street is thought to be the Ballydoyle number one for the clash with Distant Music and Kings Best.

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"We thought Zentsov Street was good going to his first race at Leopardstown but he wasn't 100 per cent afterwards. After his break, he won at Newmarket and has been very well since," O'Brien said.

The Ballydoyle trainer also outlined further future plans. The Galway maiden winner Aristotle will go in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster while at home Lermentov will go in Saturday's Group 3 Beresford Stakes which O'Brien has won for the last three years. Plato is O'Brien's current nomination for the Group three Kilavullan Stakes at Leopardstown next month.

Meanwhile, the Dewhurst Stakes will be staged on Saturday without the backing of a sponsor. The event first appeared in the programme book as being sponsored by Saudi Arabian Airlines. Then in later editions the backers of the race were given as The Thoroughbred Corporation.

Newmarket clerk of the course Nick Lees explained that The Thoroughbred Corporation gave it to their partners Saudia Arabian Airlines, but as the Emirates Airlines are sponsoring the Dubai Champion Stakes, it was decided that different airlines should not sponsor races on the same card.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column